


and at last i see the light

by RomanoJet



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Established Relationship, M/M, Office AU, ashe is the narrator btw, idk they're in an ambiguously named office don't ask me what kind
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:01:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22604386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RomanoJet/pseuds/RomanoJet
Summary: Felix Fraldarius is the new boss of a company branch. The team isn't quite sure what to think of him and his occasionally harsh, occasionally well-meaning mannerisms...until they meet his husband and see a whole new side to him.
Relationships: Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Sylvain Jose Gautier
Comments: 16
Kudos: 332
Collections: Sylvix Prompt Challenge!!





	and at last i see the light

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by [Feroxai](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Feroxai/pseuds/Feroxai) in the [sylvix_promptmeme](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/sylvix_promptmeme) collection. 



> **Prompt:**
> 
> "Felix is the new mean but fair boss that employees occasionally shit talk. For the company’s big annual dinner, he informs his team that his husband is coming and that they must be on their best behaviour.  
> The team muse about the hypothetical husband; they didn’t even know Felix was married. What kind of killjoy did he shack up with?  
> And then they meet Sylvain.  
> Bonus points: Sylvain shows off tons of pictures of Felix being sweet with their cat."
> 
> \---
> 
> no, I know nothing about the way a company works. no, I don’t know what kind of company they work for. sobs please forgive me for the inaccuracies

“Hey, Ashe!”  
  
Ashe looked up from his computer, hastily minimising Solitaire. His coworker Caspar, to his credit, said nothing about it.  
  
“Have you heard? The new boss is coming to the office today! Do you think they’ll be anything like the old one?”  
  
Ashe shuddered. Their old boss had alternated between breathing down all their necks as they attempted to input data into the computers and shutting himself in his office and not coming out until 5:00, never making himself available for questions or meetings. It was frustrating, to say the least.  
  
Eventually, corporate had caught wind of this and fired him. So, now they were stuck with someone new, someone no one had met before, since corporate did the interviews. Ashe just hoped whoever it was was marginally better than their last boss. He could live with that.  
  
“I think they’ll be good,” he said firmly. “Corporate wouldn’t punish us by giving us another bad manager.”  
  
Caspar grinned. “I sure hope so. Hey, Lin! Guess what?”  
  
Ashe sighed as Caspar went off to bother Linhardt instead. He was going to have the whole office riled up by the time the new boss arrived. For better or for worse, everyone here would be anticipating their arrival.  
  
He opened Solitaire again and resigned himself to a couple of hours of boredom until that happened.  
  
\---  
  
“Excuse me, everyone!”  
  
Mercedes’ soft voice somehow cut through the noise of the office, and everyone quieted down to listen to her. Ashe perked up in interest, swiveling his chair to face her.  
  
“The new manager will be arriving in a few minutes. I expect you all to be on your best behaviour, okay?” She gave a smile. Ashe thought it looked kind of threatening.  
  
“Whaddya mean, Mercie? We’re always on our best behaviour!” Caspar cheered, backed up by Annette, who echoed the cheer and jumped in the air in triumph, accidentally knocking over the plastic plant on Linhardt’s desk. He didn’t protest, but only because he was asleep.  
  
Ashe glanced at Mercedes, who looked a little crestfallen, like she had expected anything else from this group of people.  
  
“Is the new boss at least attractive?” Dorothea called over the noise of Annette’s frantic apologising and Caspar’s laughter. She smirked, twirling a luscious chocolate curl around one finger. “I’m looking forward to seeing a new face, especially if it’s a pretty one.”  
  
Mercedes sighed. “I’m sorry. Corporate told me to relay to you all that you can’t seduce the manager for more benefits this time. Apparently he’s not very receptive to that.”  
  
Dorothea laughed, spinning back in her chair. “It’s always worth a try.”  
  
Mercedes hushed them all for a moment when the phone rang. She picked it up, her eyes widening slightly as she listened to whoever was on the other end. “Yes, sir. Right away,” she said, and then placed down the phone.  
  
“Everyone, come stand here,” she directed. “Not in a big group, but in a line. That means you too, Linhardt. He’s here, and he wants to meet you all like this.”  
  
Ashe dutifully got up from his chair and stood in the line next to Annette. Caspar hauled Linhardt up next to him, and Dorothea took her place on Annette’s other side. What a dysfunctional little group they were. Ashe hoped the new boss wouldn’t immediately give up on them as soon as he walked in.  
  
Only a moment more passed before they heard footsteps, and then the door opened. Ashe didn’t know what he expected, but it was...well, not this. Their new boss looked about their age, wasn’t very tall, probably about the same as Ashe, and he had dyed blue hair pulled back into a short wolftail. His bangs swooped every which way, drawing attention to his piercing eyes and his unamused expression. Ashe gulped. He looked harsh. But also, like. Really cool?  
  
“Hello,” said the man, and his voice wasn’t really what Ashe expected, either. He kind of thought it would be deeper. And less awkward.  
  
“My name is Felix Fraldarius,” the man continued. “I’m your manager from now on.” He glanced at Mercedes. “You’re the receptionist?”  
  
She nodded quickly, her smile warm. “Yes! Here, let me introduce you to everyone else.” She gestured to Dorothea first, who winked. It was met with a scowl. “This is Dorothea Arnault. She is our supply relations representative, and a lovely person with an excellent singing voice!" Then, she indicated Annette. “Annette Dominic is our customer service representative. She never fails to spark a little joy into our lives!”  
  
“Hi, Mr. Fraldarius!” Annette chimed, beaming. Surprisingly, Ashe noticed, Fraldarius didn’t frown like he had with Dorothea. He just sort of nodded.  
  
Mercedes pointed to Ashe next, who stood up a little straighter as Fraldarius’ intense gaze pinned him down. “This is Ashe Ubert, our quality assurance representative. You’ll never find a more hardworking young man than him!”  
  
Fraldarius seemed to take that as a challenge, if the way his mouth tightened around the corners was any indication. Ashe felt like he was going to faint, and it only passed when Mercedes moved on to Caspar and that piercing gaze let him out of his grasp.  
  
“Caspar Bergliez is our salesman. He’s very enthusiastic about getting the job done!” Caspar pumped his fist in the air and cheered out what he called his ‘battle cry’. Ashe wanted to sob. Fraldarius looked like he was going to kill him. Mercie could probably sense this, because she hurried onto Linhardt. “That’s Linhardt Hevring, our accountant. He’s very good with numbers.” She wisely said nothing about how he frequently napped on the job and needed to be woken up by Caspar to even get anything done.  
  
Finally, Mercedes gestured to herself. “And I’m Mercedes Martritz, the receptionist. We’re a small crew, but we get the job done!” she giggled, turning back to face Fraldarius. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Fraldarius.”  
  
Fraldarius nodded, turning to face them. “I heard about your last manager. I am not going to be like that.” His gaze swept the crowd, and they all made an effort to stand as still and straight as possible. “I expect work to get done, and I expect it to get done on time. I do not tolerate distractions. I do not tolerate slacking off. I expect that you can get your own work done without me having to constantly remind you what to do. If you meet my expectations, then we’ll get along just fine.”  
  
Ashe shivered. Fraldarius didn’t seem the type to _get along just fine_ with anyone.  
  
“Dismissed.” Fraldarius picked up his briefcase from where he had set it on Mercedes’ desk and walked over to his office. He opened the door and closed it behind him with a sort of finality.  
  
Annette tried to break the silence he left in his wake. “He seems nice!” she said cheerily. “I’m sure we’ll all warm up to him.”  
  
Linhardt groaned. “I don’t know about you, but I think I’ll hate him forever. Wake me up before he comes back out.” He wandered to his desk, collapsing into his chair and laying his head on the desk.  
  
Ashe tried for a smile. “It will be alright, everyone. Let’s just do our work, okay?”  
  
As everyone trickled back to their desks and the sound of keyboards clicking and phones ringing slowly filled the office again, Ashe reflected on Mr. Fraldarius. He was kind of scary, he would admit that. But it seemed fair that he just wanted them to do a good job. With a sigh, he closed his Solitaire tab and opened up the report he was supposed to be working on.  
  
\---  
  
In the weeks since Fraldarius had become the boss, the team had developed a healthy fear of his bad moods. Some days, he stormed into the office, slamming the door shut as soon as he had gone to his desk. Those were the days they could anticipate the worst, because when the boss was in a bad mood, he snapped at people for even the smallest mistake. Everyone dreaded having their name called on one of those days.  
  
Speaking of which...  
  
“Ubert!” Fraldarius barked. “My office. Now.”  
  
Ashe gulped. He scrambled to his feet, nearly tripping in his haste to join Fraldarius in his office before he got yelled at for being slow. As soon as he had cleared the doorway, Fraldarius kicked it shut, letting it slam behind him.  
  
“Do you know why I called you in here?” he growled, pacing to his desk and wheeling around to fix Ashe with that razor-edged gaze.  
  
Ashe thought hard. He had submitted the reports he needed to for this week, and a customer hadn’t complained to him for half a month. Things were actually going pretty well. So, he dared to shake his head, clasping his hands tightly together behind his back.  
  
Fraldarius raised an eyebrow, staring him down. He let the silence drag on for a second, a few seconds, half a minute...and then, finally, he smiled. It looked almost friendly, and Ashe had to discreetly pinch himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.  
  
“You’ve done well,” he said stiffly. “I’ve noticed your progress over the last couple weeks. I wish to...reward you. I don't think you're paid enough for the work that you do.”  
  
“Reward me, sir?” Ashe blurted out, eyes wide. “That’s not necessary! I-”  
  
He fell silent at the look Fraldarius was giving him.  
  
“Don’t be an idiot,” he said, scowling. At least that was a familiar expression. “Good work deserves to be rewarded. I’m giving you a small raise. It’s high time you employees were actually paid what you’re worth.”  
  
Ashe, stunned, stepped forward a little. “Thank you, sir,” he said breathlessly. “I really can’t thank you enough, I-!”  
  
“Yes, yes,” Fraldarius said, shaking his head. Ashe could swear he saw a hint of a smile again. “Come on, out. Get back to work.”  
  
“Of course!” Ashe scrambled out of the office, heart still beating as fast as a rabbit’s. He couldn’t say he wasn’t pleased with how that had gone down, but Goddess if the boss hadn’t scared him to death before the good news. Either he was just bad at expressing his emotions, or he had done that deliberately.  
  
Later, in the lunchroom, he had a conversation about it with Annette. “He’s _terrifying!_ ” he lamented. “I thought I was going to die! But then he was actually nice? He’s so confusing sometimes.”  
  
“He’s evil,” Annette agreed, her cute face screwed up in a pout. “Do you know what he did when he heard me singing to myself at the microwave? I was just humming this dumb song I made up about food and he snuck up on me! He even watched me do a stupid little dance without saying anything!” She clenched her fists, trembling with rage. Ashe thought she kind of looked like a chihuahua. “And then he said it was obvious I was hungry, so I should go eat right that second! Ugh, he is the _worst!_ ”  
  
Ashe had to stop himself from chuckling. Annette was well known for her cute little ditties, and it seemed Fraldarius enjoyed them as well. It almost made him seem like just another friend.  
  
“Evil,” he sympathised, if only to make it so that Annette didn’t call him evil as well for agreeing with Fraldarius.  
  
Later, he found himself talking to Dorothea, who had much to say on the topic of their boss. “He’s so rude sometimes,” she huffed, playing with a ring on her finger. Ashe had asked once - it wasn’t the symbol of any marriage, but it was there to make her look more desirable. Ashe had no idea what that meant, but he supposed Dorothea was more of an expert on that subject than him. “I wasn’t even flirting with him, I just asked if he wanted to get lunch together. And he told me to go away! Eventually he just started ignoring me. Honestly, the nerve of some people.”  
  
Ashe nodded, patting her shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he said, but Dorothea wasn’t listening anymore. She was staring daggers at Fraldarius’ office, probably plotting how she could get back into his good graces. Ashe decided it was time to go.  
  
Even Mercedes had a few things to say, but they were mostly kind. “Do you know what he did when I offered him a candy? He practically turned green and told me he doesn’t like sweets. Isn’t that odd? He reminds me of my little brother,” she giggled, handing Ashe one of the candies in question from the bowl on her desk. Turning red, he muttered his thanks. “Oh my, he was a bit upset when I told him that. But they really are so similar. Maybe I should bring Emile in sometime so that they can meet each other.”  
  
Ashe wasn’t sure if that was the best idea, but he just nodded politely. Eventually, Mercedes got a call and Ashe took that as his cue to walk back to his desk, munching on the candy. It was strange, he thought, that Fraldarius had said he didn’t like sweets, because he could have sworn one day after closing he had seen the man grabbing a handful from the bowl and sticking it in his pocket. Maybe he just didn’t want to admit to his sweet tooth? Or perhaps he was bringing them to someone else?  
  
Fraldarius was a puzzle that he just couldn’t figure out, and yet he continued to intrigue him greatly. However, one thing was clear, he reflected as he sat back down at his computer and pulled up his latest document to fill out. Productivity had gone up by a very large margin since his arrival. Everyone here was working more efficiently - even Linhardt, when he wasn’t napping. So, perhaps it really wasn’t so bad that Fraldarius was here after all.  
  
\---  
  
“Please be in the conference room in five minutes, everyone!”  
  
Mercedes’ cheery voice broke through the morning chatter, and Ashe looked up from his computer. It was rare that a team meeting was called, least of all first thing in the morning. Curious, he stood and made his way to the conference room, the others all following, Mercedes ushering them in. Once they had found their seats, Fraldarius walked into the room.  
  
“Thank you for gathering here,” he said, his tone sharp, as usual. “I’ve been informed recently that this company does an annual potluck in December. We will be attending.”  
  
Annette brightened. “I want to try baking a scrumptious treat again! I’m sure it will work out better this time.”  
  
Ashe winced. Last time, she had arrived with cookies that were more charcoal than food.  
  
While Fraldarius would have flayed anyone else alive for interrupting, this time he merely inclined his head slightly. “Yes. I’ve been told everyone has to bring some kind of food. You are also allowed to bring one other person with you, if you wish.”  
  
He paused. It looked like he was turning something over in his mind. The room was completely silent.  
  
“I will be bringing my husband to the dinner. I expect you all to be on your best behaviour.” Fraldarius’ glare seemed especially focused on Caspar. “Don’t disappoint me.” He turned to the door, apparently done with what he had to say. “Get back to work.”  
  
As soon as the door closed behind Fraldarius, excited chatter filled the room. “He has a husband?” Annette gasped. “I didn’t know he was married!”  
  
Dorothea made a noise of dismay. “You mean I was making advances at a married man? How inconsiderate of him not to tell us.”  
  
“No offense,” sniggered Caspar in a voice that very much suggested offense, “but who would marry that hardass? The guy must be, like, a drill sergeant or something.”  
  
“Now, now,” Mercedes chided, shooing them out of their seats. “Let’s be nice. He asked us to behave politely at the dinner, so let’s all do the best we can. That means no flirting-” she looked at Dorothea sternly- “no challenging anyone to brawls or napping at the table-” directed at Caspar and Linhardt- “and no mentioning to Mr. Fraldarius that he looks like a character in a TV show that he hates.” She looked pointedly at Ashe.  
  
“That was _one_ time!” he protested, ears burning red. Admittedly, it had been a huge lapse in judgement.  
  
Mercedes merely smiled. “Oh, and come to me when you figure out what you want to bring to the potluck! I have a sheet to keep track.”  
  
As he made his way back to his desk, Ashe had to admit that he was with Caspar on this one, though perhaps not in such crude terms. He couldn’t imagine what kind of person had married Fraldarius. Was he as uptight at home as he was at work? Did he even know how to show romantic affection?  
  
He was still burning with curiosity when he took his lunch break, and apparently everyone else was, too, because the lunchroom was buzzing when he walked in.  
  
Caspar waved at him. “Hey, Ashe, get over here. We’re taking bets on what the Bossman’s husband is like.”  
  
Ashe sat down in the circle, shaking his head. “I don’t think this is a good idea,” he said nervously. “What if Mr. Fraldarius finds out?”  
  
Caspar thumped him on the back, laughing. “Re _lax_ , the dude doesn’t care. Okay, lemme fill you in. Me and Linhardt are betting he’s got even more of a stick up his ass than the Boss. That’s the only way he could live with that.”  
  
“And I bet that they were victims of an old-fashioned arranged marriage, and they aren’t actually happy together and never will be,” Dorothea chimed in, smirking. “Wouldn’t that make for a tragic story?”  
  
“You guys are _awful_ ,” Annette protested, hands clasped in her lap. “I’m telling you, he’s probably just a normal guy. I bet Mr. Fraldarius is just fine at home! There doesn’t have to be some big story around it. Although, if there is...I wonder if that’s the reason why he’s so grumpy sometimes.”  
  
Ashe bit his lip. Even though he kind of agreed with Caspar’s claim, he still couldn’t participate in this in good faith. “Guys, I’m not going to bet. It’s not kind. Let’s just have a normal dinner and meet Mr. Fraldarius’ husband when he comes.”  
  
Caspar snorted. “Your loss, dude. I still think I have this in the bag.” Linhardt nodded in agreement, a smile curling his lips.  
  
Ashe shook his head, but he allowed a smile to slip through as well as he went to heat up his lunch. This dinner would certainly be interesting.  
  
\---  
  
Finally, the day of the potluck arrived. Ashe liked to cook in his spare time, so he didn’t mind bringing a meat dish that his friend Dedue had helped him make. It was roasted beautifully with a blend of Duscur spices, and honestly, he was pretty proud of it. Maybe some of the effort was put in because he was hoping to impress Fraldarius and his husband, but he dismissed that thought quickly.  
  
When he arrived, the place was already busy. Most of the branches of the company showed up to this annual dinner, so it was a lot more crowded than he was used to, since their team was so small. He felt a little meek as he navigated his way between people he had never seen before, dodging a girl with short, orange hair as she gestured wildly during what appeared to be an impassioned rant about a temp at her branch.  
  
Luckily, he soon caught sight of Caspar’s telltale electric blue hair, and he made his way over to him. Unsurprisingly, he was talking to Linhardt, who looked displeased with the whole affair.  
  
“Hey, man!” Capsar greeted once Ashe had come to stand beside him. “You can leave your stuff on that table over there. Have you seen Boss yet? I’m trying to guess if he’s already here and one of these randos is his husband. The anticipation is seriously killing me!”  
  
Ashe shook his head. “Sorry. I just got here. But I’ll help you look.”  
  
After depositing his dish on the table, he rejoined Caspar and helped him scan the crowds. They caught sight of Annette and Mercedes, who came to stand with them, and eventually Dorothea melted out of a throng of people and joined them as well. The gang was all here, but Fraldarius still hadn’t shown.  
  
“I see him!” Caspar suddenly shouted, smacking Ashe on the arm. Ow. “Look, look, he’s got someone with him! Goddess damn it, someone lift me up!” He was craning his neck, attempting to see over the crowd. Ashe didn’t know how he had even managed to catch sight of Fraldarius.  
  
Linhardt, who was taller than everyone else, yawned and stood up, glancing over at where Caspar was desperately pointing. “Mm...he’s with someone who has red hair,” he said, looking back down at Caspar. “And he’s tall.”  
  
Caspar whistled. “A tall redhead? Does he have a resting bitch face like Bossman does?”  
  
Linhardt shrugged. “You’ll know soon. They’re coming this way.”  
  
Oh, Goddess. Ashe paled. It felt like much too soon, and he wasn’t ready, and what if they made a bad impression-  
  
But it was too late to keep worrying, because Fraldarius was shoving through the crowd towards them at an alarming speed, his husband keeping pace behind him, what looked like a large smile on his handsome face. Ashe blinked. That was...not what he expected.  
  
Fraldarius came to a stop in front of them. “Good. You’re all here,” he growled. “Team, meet my husband, Sylvain. Sylvain, this is my team.”  
  
Ashe took a second to take in Sylvain. He was tall, his complexion sunny, and his smile was almost blinding to look at. Not only that, but his arm was slung around Fraldarius, pulling him close, and _he wasn’t pushing him away_. Ashe had to physically stop himself from gaping at the sight.  
  
Caspar, of course, barged forward before anyone could say anything else, shaking Sylvain’s hand enthusiastically. “Nice to meet you! I’m Caspar. I’m pretty much the coolest person in the office.”  
  
Sylvain laughed, reciprocating the handshake with a strong grip. “Nice to finally meet you, Caspar! Felix talks a lot about you guys, so it’s cool to see you in person.”  
  
Ashe blinked. Fraldarius talked about them? And it must be in a positive way, or else Sylvain wouldn’t sound so cheerful when he was saying that.  
  
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Dorothea sizing up Sylvain with a grin like a cat. Oh Goddess, please let her remember the one rule she had been given by Mercedes, Ashe prayed. Luckily, Dorothea merely extended her hand, shaking Sylvain’s like a someone who definitely did not aim to try and flirt. “My name is Dorothea,” she said smoothly. “I’m sure Felix has told you about me as well?”  
  
Sylvain winked. “Ah, yes, the beautiful Dorothea! I’ve heard all about you.”  
  
Each second was getting weirder and weirder. How was this vibrant man, this literal ray of sunshine, married to Felix Fraldarius?  
  
As Sylvain went on to shake hands with Annette, Mercedes, and Linhardt, Ashe chanced a glance at Fraldarius, and his jaw really did drop this time. Fraldarius was gazing at Sylvain, his stance relaxed and unguarded for once. There was no other word for it - he looked soft. His eyes, which Ashe had only seen burn with something like boredom or ire, were now positively filled with love.  
  
All too soon, Sylvain was focusing his attention on Ashe, which felt a little like standing in the sun without sunglasses. “And you must be Ashe!” he said cheerfully. “Nice to meet you, buddy.” He shook his hand, his skin warm, and clapped him on the shoulder. Ashe could do little else than nod dumbly, eyes wide.  
  
Fraldarius tugged on Sylvain’s arm. “Let’s go get some food,” he snapped. “We’ve spent long enough doing this.”  
  
Instead of balking or looking upset, like Ashe would have expected, Sylvain positively _beamed_. “Sure thing, babe,” he agreed, pulling Fraldarius close to press a kiss to his temple. Ashe had to rub at his eyes at this point; he wasn’t sure he was trusting what they were seeing, because it looked like Fraldarius was _blushing_.  
  
“Idiot,” Fraldarius grumbled, and then pulled Sylvain away. Chuckling, Sylvain waved at the team one last time before following behind his husband.  
  
Ashe turned to the rest of the team, eyes wide. Everyone else had similarly flabbergasted expressions.  
  
“Am I dreaming?” Caspar asked, a strangled laugh escaping his mouth. “Because I think we just met, like, an angel. An angel married to the boss. _Our_ boss. That guy.”  
  
“Oh my Goddess, he was so _sweet!_ ” Annette squealed. “When he kissed Felix and he blushed, wasn’t that the most adorable thing you’ve ever seen? I’m going to melt!”  
  
She put a hand to her forehead and pretended to swoon, falling into Mercedes, who giggled and held her up. “I have to say I’m surprised as well,” she said serenely. “But I think they’re sweet, too.”  
  
Dorothea pretended to fan herself. “He scored a hottie,” she said, impressed. “How did he get someone like that to fall in love with him?”  
  
“Come on, guys,” Ashe protested, finally finding his voice. “Let’s just go enjoy the rest of the dinner. Stop making fun of Mr. Fraldarius.”  
  
Mercedes nodded, giving Ashe a smile. That seemed to be the cue to disband, because Caspar grabbed Linhardt’s wrist and dragged him over to the food. Annette rushed straight to where the desserts were set up, Mercedes trailing behind her. Dorothea parted from Ashe to scope out some potential rich husbands, or whatever she had said before going to flirt with a man with flowing orange hair. He wasn’t sure if it was a game to her or not, but it was definitely something she loved playing.  
  
Ashe found himself alone before he could even blink. Feeling awkward, he sidled up to the table, looking to maybe grab something to eat and hang out in the corner for the rest of the dinner. Unfortunately, his path unwillingly brought him right beside where Fraldarius and his husband were chatting, styrofoam plates laden with food.  
  
“Ashe!” Sylvain called, his easy grin in place. “Come sit with us! We were just gonna move over to those couches.” He nodded at a group of couches sitting off to the side, out of the way of the worst of the crowd.  
  
Gulping, Ashe nodded. “Okay,” he squeaked, grabbing a bunch of random food and piling it on his plate in order to hurry over to where they were walking.  
  
With trembling hands, he placed his plate down on the table in front of them and sat on the empty couch. Sylvain was already lounging on the couch across from it, his arms slung over the back, one still encompassing Fraldarius’ shoulders. Ashe noticed that his boss was leaning into the contact, a slight flush still on his face. They looked...comfortable together. And happy. Ashe was still having trouble processing it.  
  
“So, Ashe,” Sylvain said, voice mellow, “how has work been? Felix has been super psyched with how the team has performed ever since he came.” He leaned forward, lowering his voice conspiratorially. “He was totally worried that none of you would like him.”  
  
Fraldarius sputtered, his cheeks darkening. “Sylvain! Shut up, I didn’t say that.” He glared at Ashe. “Ubert. You will not repeat that to anyone.”  
  
Ashe nodded, almost too fast. “Yes, sir! I mean, no, sir. I didn’t hear anything.”  
  
Sylvain burst out laughing, doubling over on the couch. “Goddess, Fe, is that how you talk to them? They’re not _scared_ of you, are they?”  
  
Ashe was going to pass out. ‘Fe’? How was this even real?  
  
Fraldarius folded his arms. Ashe would almost say it looked like he was pouting. But he didn’t want to die, so he kept his mouth tightly shut.  
  
“Shut up,” the man muttered again. “I’m their boss. That’s all.”  
  
Ashe took this as his cue to nod. “We- we all like Mr. Fraldarius,” he stammered. “He has been an excellent boss.”  
  
“Oo, ‘Mr. Fraldarius’,” Sylvain cooed, poking his husband’s cheek. “So fancy! You can call him Felix, you know. He won’t kill you.”  
  
Ashe wasn’t sure about that. It looked like Fral- _Felix-_ might actually do the contrary in about two seconds.  
  
To calm himself, he reached for his plate and took a cookie, biting into it. Sylvain was still watching him. His gaze was friendly, but there was something calculating in it, too.  
  
“I always eat dessert first, too,” he said, reaching for the cupcake he had put on his plate. He winked, unwrapping the paper. “Felix tells me it’ll ruin my appetite, but everything tastes better after a little dessert, don’t you think?”  
  
Ashe was afraid to say that he had just picked up the cookie by accident. “I agree,” he squeaked.  
  
Felix harrumphed. “Don’t be a bad influence on him, you buffoon,” he said to Sylvain crossly. “Ubert eats healthily, unlike you.”  
  
Sylvain just laughed, as if those were the most endearing words he had ever heard out of Felix’s mouth. Then, he sort of nuzzled his nose into Felix’s cheek, whispering something, and Ashe dropped his eyes down to his plate as fast as he could. It almost felt wrong to intrude on this much intimacy, especially since it was a side of his boss that he had never seen before.  
  
Only when a few seconds had passed did he feel confident enough to raise his head again. Luckily, Sylvain was back to munching on his cupcake and Felix had picked up his plate, attacking the meat there with a fork. With a spark of pride, Ashe recognised some of the garnish on top and realised that it was the dish he had prepared.  
  
He put the cookie down and began to eat some of the appetisers he had put onto his plate at random. Surprisingly, most of them were quite good. He almost felt relaxed. That is, until Sylvain fixed him with his captivating gaze again.  
  
“Ashe,” he said suddenly. “Come over here. I wanna show you something.” He patted the cushion next to him.  
  
Ashe couldn’t breathe. There was barely enough room on that couch for three people - he’d be squished up against his boss’ husband. But he couldn’t deny him, not with those earnest eyes on him, so he put his plate back down and stood up. The few short steps over to their couch seemed like a death march, and he perched on the very end, practically holding his breath in his effort not to intrude into Sylvain’s space.  
  
“Don’t be shy,” Sylvain teased, carelessly throwing an arm around Ashe and tugging him closer like he weighed nothing at all. Ashe was going to pass out, he really was. He heard Felix scoff, but he couldn’t really see him past Sylvain’s bulk.  
  
Sylvain pulled his phone out, turning it on and swiping through the apps. Ashe noticed that his phone’s wallpaper was a picture of Sylvain kissing Felix’s cheek. In the picture, Felix looked embarrassed, his cheeks flaring red, but he also looked happy. Happier than Ashe had ever seen him at the office. It was adorable, honestly.  
  
Sylvain tapped the photos app, bringing it up. He opened a folder labelled ‘Fe and Cat <3’, where he began to scroll through what looked like hundreds of photos. “Look at this!” he said excitedly, tapping a picture and showing Ashe with a giant, happy grin on his face. “Isn’t he adorable?”  
  
Ashe squinted at the picture. In it, Felix was laying on his back on a nice-looking couch. On his chest, a tiny grey kitten was settled, looking content. One of Felix’s hands was buried in the kitten’s fur, the other one hanging off the couch. He looked relaxed and content, just like the kitten. “Very cute,” he agreed, unable to keep a small smile off his face.  
  
“Here!” Sylvain handed Ashe his phone. “Scroll through them all. They’re all amazing and adorable, just like him.” He turned, planting a smooch on Felix’s cheek to punctuate his point.  
  
“Sylvain!” Felix almost sounded petulant. “Don’t show him those. I like having my team respect me, believe it or not.”  
  
Sylvain only laughed, kissing him several more times. “Aw, Fe. I just wanna show them that you’re not the big grouchy meanie you pretend to be.”  
  
Ashe tried his best to block out the sounds of the couple beside him, scrolling through the photos, despite still feeling like he was intruding. Sylvain had said it was okay, so it was fine, right..? And all of the pictures were truly very heartwarming. It was a side of Felix he hadn’t known existed. And who didn’t love cats? Ashe had to admit he had a soft spot for them.  
  
“What’re you doin’, Ashe?” Caspar’s boisterous voice behind him rang out like a gunshot, and Ashe nearly jumped out of his skin.  
  
“Caspar!” he scolded, twisting in his seat to narrow his eyes at the man behind him. “Don’t sneak up on people like that.”  
  
Caspar shrugged, grinning. “‘Kay. Hey, why’re you snuggled up with the boss and his hubby?” He didn’t seem to care that said ‘boss and hubby’ were literally right there, very much in earshot. Felix’s glare told Ashe that he could very much hear him.  
  
Sylvain rescued Ashe by twisting around to look at Caspar as well. “I’m showing him me and Fe’s cat pictures!” he said excitedly. “Wanna see? Call the whole team over, you can all look at them!”  
  
Ignoring Felix’s flustered protests, Sylvain told Caspar to round up the rest of the team and bring them over. Overly enthusiastic, Caspar did so in record time, having everybody gathered around in less than five minutes. They piled around the couch, either squeezing in to sit with Ashe or standing just behind it. It was cramped, but Ashe found it oddly comfortable to be surrounded by the people he was closest with.  
  
Despite Felix’s best efforts to stop him, Sylvain showed them all the pictures one by one to oohs and ahhs. First, it was Felix playing and napping and feeding the little grey kitten, and then, as time went on, the kitten began to grow into a bigger cat. It seemed like Felix doted on the cat often, with every other picture having him giving it a handful of treats or a cute new cat toy.  
  
“Goddess,” Ashe heard Dorothea gasp as they landed on a picture of Felix with the cat plopped on his head, looking smug. Felix had a silly smile on his face, and he looked...well, _tender_. Ashe knew what Dorothea was thinking - he hadn’t even known Felix’s face could make that kind of expression.  
  
“This is the worst,” Felix muttered, his arms tightly crossed. He refused to look at any of them, instead curling up into Sylvain’s side, steadfastly pretending that none of this was happening. Ashe felt a little bad for him, but he was too enthralled by the pictures.  
  
Finally, Sylvain reached the last photo, a picture of Felix holding up the cat to a shaft of light coming through the window like the scene from The Lion King. “He’s amazing,” Sylvain repeated, sighing dreamily as he locked his phone and stuck it back in his pocket.  
  
Face red, Felix finally emerged from Sylvain’s side. “All of you, get out of here,” he snapped, though the effect of meanness was ruined by how flustered he looked. However, Mercie seemed willing to come to his aid, ushering away Caspar and Linhardt, Annette and Dorothea following afterwards. Legs a little cramped from sitting in the same place for so long, Ashe stood, wobbling on his feet.  
  
“Thank you for showing us that,” he said to Sylvain, unable to keep a smile off his face.  
  
Sylvain chuckled, pulling Felix into his arms effortlessly and kissing the top of his head. “Yeah, of course. I wouldn’t want you guys thinking Fe was some sort of grouch all the time.”  
  
Ashe hid his mouth before he could laugh, and then quickly skirted around the table to pick up his plate and flee to a different part of the room. It seemed that he would need to majorly reevaluate the way he saw Felix - everyone did. Meeting his husband had certainly been a much different experience than they had all been anticipating.  
  
\---  
  
The next day was the last day of work before the holidays. Felix was late, and Ashe briefly wondered if he was going to come at all. It was a possibility that he was too embarrassed to show his face.  
  
However, soon enough, footsteps echoed down the hall and Felix came in through the door, looking a little ruffled. “What are you staring at?” he barked at them, once he had turned to see every pair of eyes in the room on him. “Get back to work.” He stormed into his office, slamming the door.  
  
When Ashe closed his eyes, he could still see the picture of Felix with the cute cat on his head. Somehow, he didn’t feel very intimidated anymore.  
  
His eyes widened as a mop of red hair poked into the room after Felix, the man glancing around before slinking into the room. What was Sylvain doing here? Surely this was against what Felix believed for the workplace.  
  
Sylvain spotted Ashe’s desk and his eyes lit up, making a beeline straight towards him. “Hey, buddy!” he greeted, clapping Ashe’s shoulder with a familiarity that would suggest they had known each other for years, rather than a day. “Fe said I could come into work with him because it’s the last day before the winter holidays. He said I wasn’t supposed to bother anyone, but I’m not bothering you, right?”  
  
Ashe smiled. He quite liked Felix’s husband, after all, and he was glad that he got to see him again. “You’re not bothering me at all,” he assured. “In fact, it’s quite nice to see you here.”  
  
Sylvain grinned. “That’s what I like to hear.” He pulled over a spare chair, crowding a little into Ashe’s space. Ashe, who had long surmised that Sylvain was quite a touchy-feely person, didn’t mind. “So, hey, did I help you guys out yesterday? Don’t tell him I told you, but Fe actually was kind of worried that none of you like him.” Sylvain’s expression had become serious for once, so Ashe paid rapt attention. “He doesn’t mean to be so prickly all the time, but it’s hard for him to show his affection in ways that other people easily recognise. Sometimes he can’t help it.” Sylvain sighed, leaning back in his chair. “I thought maybe if I could show you guys another side of him, you’d see that he’s really just a big softie. I know he’s your boss, but he really wants to build a bond with all of you. You get me?”  
  
Ashe looked into Sylvain’s earnest caramel eyes, which were filled with emotion. He could see how deeply Sylvain cared for Felix, and how important his happiness was to him. “Of course,” Ashe said, his own green eyes widening. “I...thank you for telling us, Sylvain. I think everyone realised that when we saw what Mr. Fraldarius was like around you last night. And those pictures, they...well, they showed us a new side of him.”  
  
Sylvain slumped back in his seat, blowing out a sigh of relief. “That’s awesome, Ashe. I’m really glad. I just...I want people to see the man I love for who he really is, you know?”  
  
Ashe thought back to everything he had noticed about Felix. The way he seemed to have a soft spot for Annette and her songs (no matter how evil Annette seemed to decree his actions), the way he gave out raises when he believed the employees truly deserved it, the way he loaded his pockets with sweets when no one was looking (which, now that he thought about it, were probably for Sylvain)... And he understood what Sylvain meant. “I understand,” he said, smiling at Sylvain. “I think we’ve all seen that side of him before, we just...needed a little push.”  
  
Sylvain grinned. “Good. Thanks, Ashe. I’ll get out of your hair now, okay?”  
  
Ashe waved goodbye and watched as Sylvain made his way over to Felix’s office. When he knocked on the door, it swung open immediately, like Felix had been waiting for him. Ashe only just caught sight of Felix pulling Sylvain down to share a tender kiss before the door swung shut behind him.  
  



End file.
